New Zealand...Sorry for the Book...

I’ve been so busy/tired with my traveling and “doing” that I decided it would be best to put my whole weeks worth of New Zealand touring into one big post. Get ready, because this one is going to be a doooooooozy….

My flight to Christchurch was not too shabby. It was about 3 hours, so no big deal there. Air New Zealand was great, though! A surprising start was the bar service and light meal served, so I grabbed a mimosa (classy, I know) and had a nice salad with grilled chicken and corn, with a little baby carrot cake for dessert J. I landed in Christchurch, which was about the size of my thumbnail, and got the pleasure of hanging out there for a solid two and a half hours because I WAY overestimated the time it would take for me to get through customs and such. In any event, they had rooftop access where you could go and watch the planes come in, which was really neat. Then I boarded the one-hour puddle jumper to Auckland, and met up with Simon!

For not having seen someone in almost two years, it didn’t really take us long to immediately pick up from where we left off. Catching up was great, as we made our way from the airport up toward his house about 45 minutes away. I got to know about where he works and what he’s been up to, and the drive was a great way to get back into the swing of things. We got into his neighborhood, and he showed me the beach where he and his friends usually go to hang out and relax. Once we got to his place, we had some dinner, met his mom, dad and sister, grabbed a beer and watch some rugby, and headed off to bed.

The next morning, we woke up early because I had to be at the bus station for my trip to the Bay of Islands. The bus driver was awesome: very informative, funny and personable. I got some insight into the history and culture of the area, as well as information about wildlife and nature along the three-hour tour (the three hour tour…)

When we arrived at the Bay of Island, I decided to join the short hour-long tour through the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where they signed their version of the Declaration of Independence with the Maori people. Kind of boring history stuff (although some of it was interesting), but hell, I figured I was there, I probably wont be there again, and I should probably be less ignorant about things like that than I already am.

We then boarded our cruise, which was absolutely gorgeous. About five minutes into our trip, we had some visitors alongside our boat…DOLPHINS! They were swimming next to us, playing in groups of about three or four, coming up to the surface to say hello, and just having a grand old time just for us! They were a lot of fun to spot. From there, we headed over to the famed “Hole in the Rock,” which was just that…a giant, naturally made hole in a big ol’ rock. Believe it or not, it was pretty amazing, and the way the sun was hitting it made it look spectacular. Again, I’d post pictures, but blogger isn’t being too cooperative. Hopefully I’ll find a better way of doing that soon… Oh yeah, and I also managed to lose my camera’s lens cap due to an unfriendly gust of wind, so now it is being protected by my glasses micro-fiber cloth and Pamela’s hair tie (Thanks Sister!)

After the long drive back, I met up with Simon, and we headed back to his house, where his mom had made me some mince and veggies for dinner. We then went out, picked up his girlfriend, and made our way out to a bar to watch some more rugby. It was actually really cool to watch a different sport a bar with some locals, and we just had a pretty chill night: until…

Two young gentlemen sat down at the booth with us, just to get out of the crowd and relax for a bit. Looking at me (exhausted from the trip and a bit relaxed just watching the game), one of them asked if I was “peaking,” aka high on ecstasy. Simon told him I wasn’t, but jokingly asked if he was looking to score some. His response? “No man I’ve got plenty on me!” We started talking, and it turns out he’s a local schoolteacher. Awesome. To top it off, he found out I was American, and made it his sole mission to take me out to the city, show me what “real Auckland” was like, and get me laid: ensuring to have me back to the airport in time for my flight the next morning, thereby taking me out of Simon’s care and putting my life in his hands. I declined.

Another flight (another puddle-jumper, really) into Queenstown awaited me, but this was no ordinary flight. I cannot describe to you how amazingly beautiful the last half hour of this flight was. I was first welcomed by brown mountains jutting up from the land, with a beautifully blue snaking river flowing alongside. Those mountains then turned snow-capped, and transformed into a mix of summer desert and winter mountain feelings. More blue lakes and rivers popped up all around, as we rounded a mountainside and headed for the runway over the beautiful lake on which Queenstown was built. Breathtaking.

I was met at the airport by Kat: Jenny’s, Luke’s, and Mel’s housemate. With open arms, I immediately got a hug and a welcome, and felt at home within a matter of seconds. We drove up to their house, and when I walked into their living room, almost passed out with the view that they get to wake up to every morning. Remember those mountains that we had just rounded (some brown, some covered in lush green trees, and some snow-capped), rising up from that gigantic teal-blue lake I was talking about? Yeah… Again, even if I could put the picture up here, it wouldn’t do it half the justice it deserves.

We dropped off my stuff, and within a few minutes Mel came home! We all chatted for a bit, and then headed into town to grab some lunch at an organic restaurant called Halo (The Forbidden Bite!), and I got a salad with roasted pumpkin, carrots, and kumara (kind of three quarters in between a potato and a sweet potato, leaning toward the sweet potato side), and it was heavenly. We also got some coffee (which over here means cappuccinos, lattes…etc) and man do they know how to make them over here! It isn’t the “Starbucks Culture” like it is in America. Nearly every restaurant and café has a fully professional espresso maker, and takes pride in the coffee they make and brew. I’m now seriously considering investing in a real espresso machine: where you froth your own milk, grind your own beans, and make really make it your own like these people seem to do. Something about that just makes me feel warm and cozy inside…but I digress…

We walked in town for a little bit. It reminded me so much of a tiny ski-town that would be in Colorado: some clothing shops, tons of cafes and restaurants, a mini-casino on the wharf…Just a few blocks in size, it was really quaint and amazing. We stopped into some of the agency places, and I ended up booking my highly sought after skydive for the next day. Everyone said that this was the place in which to do it, and due to my flight in, I could see why! 15,000 feet, here I come! Or so I thought…but more on that later. A bit more chill time and home, Jenny arrived and we caught up for a bit, and all went to bed.

I woke up and got ready for the big jump. The girls dropped me off in town on their way to work, and I headed for breakfast at a place called Joe’s Garage: a little café that was tucked away behind some other shop and down a side alley that had a wrench for a door handle and a feel somewhat like, well, a garage. As I sat down at the counter overlooking the open kitchen, I got to talking with the cook, the barista, and a woman who I assume was the owner. I was one of about three people in there, but the others kept to themselves. I ordered myself a coffee, and we all started talking about where we were all from, my travels…the usual stuff people want to know about each other and the conversation I seem to keep having over and over again. After about half an hour of talking and getting to know these strangers, I was approached by the owner, who asked me what size shirt I wore, and handed me a Joe’s Garage shirt that she told me to wear proudly around town. And I did. As I was about to up and leave, the cook opened the door and took out some fresh, hot apricot and honey scones…needless to say I bought one and headed off to the pickup spot for my inevitable jump.

When I arrived, they said it was much too cloudy and windy, so they had pushed my jump back (forward?) a few hours. A bit upset (but relieved that they were taking every precaution to ensure my jump would be safe), I decided to walk around the town and get myself acquainted with everything. Really, just a quaint, awesome ski town. So much fun. I reported back, and it had been pushed back yet again. Breakfast number two at a place called the Post Office. Also very delicious: got some poached eggs with spinach and mushrooms and tomato and watch people walk by. Third time is a charm? Not for me…and back to Joe’s Garage for some fruit crumble thing that was hot and delicious. I guess I’m just a nervous/frustrated eater…

To kill some time and calories, I decided to take a scenic walk up Queenstown Hill: a nice hike that was recommended by a few locals that should have taken me all of about an hour. Well, after getting myself lost and taking a few wrong turns, walking uphill seemingly both ways, and three hours of my time led me to the summit at about 900m above sea level. A very exhausting walk in the rain indeed, but hell – I killed some more time. The summit would have been much nicer had the weather not been extremely cloudy and overcast with rain, but it seemed to be a theme so I made the best of it. And it still wasn’t half bad. The skydive was officially canceled for the day by the time I checked back, so I rebooked for the next day. Mel and I went to the travel agent a bit later, booked a coach/cruise to Milford Sound, and the three of us (including Jenny) made our way to a small local town called Aarowtown. We got to see someone grinding Jade into necklaces and jewelry in a small little shop, and then grabbed some coffee and sat in couches that, after my giant uphill battle with Queenstown Hill, hugged me and didn’t want to let go. Eventually it did, and we headed back to Queenstown where we got some hot mulled wine before making our way to the famed “Fergburger!” Pretty yummy burger place: I got the lamburger. Only in New Zealand…

We had a pretty relaxing day after that – slept in a bit (seeing as my skydive had been canceled yet again), planned the day with Mel, and met Jenny in town for some lunch. We walked around a bit, grabbed some coffee, and went back home just to chill. Around dinnertime, we made our way to a place called “The Bunker,” which was a hidden little upscale restaurant where I decided to splurge on a traditional lamb dinner from New Zealand, as we all sat around and shared a nice bottle of wine in the cozy place and talking about differing cultures and habits, among other things.

Mel and I got up early for our trip to Milford Sound. The tour was actually with the same company with whom I traveled to the Bay of Islands, so I was pretty excited about the potential for a great trip. We were, however, a bit weary about the weather and how that would affect the trip. Our first stop off was at a city called Te Anau, which has the famed “Mirror Lakes,” (name for the fact that they have near perfect reflections in good weather, which we clearly weren’t going to get), but it was still beautiful. We also were told that in Te Anau, we needed to seek out the famous “Miles Better Pies,” which we did. Great decision! Mel and I split a venison pie, which was the best pie that either of us had ever had. I think Mel referred to it as reaching “Pie Heaven.” Back to the bus for an amazingly scenic drive up, down, around, through, and across mountains of snow, trees, valleys and gorges on our way to Milford Sound. There were also droves and droves of sheep and deer on farms along the way, almost like you would see cows in America, BUT THESE WERE SHEEP AND DEER! So cute and so much fun to stare at. I’m such a sucker for wildlife…

When we arrived, we pretty much boarded the boat straight away. Our tour came with a buffet, so we grabbed some food and headed off to the back off the boat to watch the scenery, wildlife, waterfalls, and water. The views were just stunning, and waterfalls, while flowing, weren’t as spectacular as they could have been. We were lucky, however, in that the sun did come out for just about the entire duration of our cruise, and then hid back behind the clouds. A long bus ride back brought us to town, where Mel and I had some time to kill before Jenny got off of work. So, we headed over to the Central Otago Wine Experience.

This was right up my alley! Here’s the deal: you receive a wine glass, as well as a card card that you put into one of a certain number of machines, each having about 10 wines on “tap.” When your card is in the machine, you can press a button above the wine you would like to try (description underneath) and you get 25ml of wine to try! Each taste was averaged between 2-5 dollars (of the ones I chose), and so for the price of one or two glasses of wine, I got to try about six! Most of them were local (within a few miles of Queenstown/Central Otago area) and the others were located somewhere in the wine producing regions of New Zealand. It was so much fun, and Mel and I had a blast. Then, Jenny and Kat came to meet us, and something incredible happened…

Apparently, ginger hair is a prized possession around town! Every Wednesday night, they have “Ginga Night” at the Buffalo Club. What does “Ginga Night” involve, you may ask. It involves having red hair, bringing three of your friends to the Buffalo Club, and receiving a $50 dollar bar tab. That’s right, for once, being a ginger has paid off! So, we headed there and had a few drinks, and headed off for some dessert, to no avail. Both of the places we wanted to go were closed, so we called it a night, headed back home, hung out and chatted, and hit the hay.

Thursday morning: my last attempt at a day to skydive. I called in, and, what’s this? They’re ready for me!? We’re actually going to JUMP!? WOOOOOOOOO!!!! I threw on some close, and Jenny took me down to town, where I headed into the shop, singed all my waivers, paid the incredibly stupid amount of money to throw myself out of a plane from 15,000 feet in the air and was ready to head off…when they came in and said the winds had picked up at the last minute, and we were once again delayed for three hours. What’s a boy to do but try some more cafes and kill some more time? So I went to the local’s favorite spot, Vudu, for some coffee and a bowl of organic porridge with apple, date and cinnamon compote, which was on special. Delicious as usual, but didn’t fill that void of knowing I probably wasn’t going to jump…and when I checked back, that’s just what happened. Despite being a beautiful, sunny, relatively cloud free day, the winds were just too much. Somebody other than my mother was telling me that I shouldn’t be jumping out of a plane. All the more reason to come back to what has so far been my favorite destination.

Mel and Kat had just finished the gym, spotted me on the streets, picked me up and took me back home, where we hung out for a bit and decided to make our way to Wanaka, a city about an hour outside of Queenstown. Jenny had to pick up her new (and beautiful) snowboard anyway, and the drive was supposed to be fantastic, scenic, and beautiful: and boy was it! Our drive started out sunny and bright, with green stuff all around us. But as we climbed higher and higher through the mountain, the ground became peppered with snow. (After just typing the words ‘peppered with snow,’ I think that’s a really cool/odd way of describing something white…but anyway…) We saw tons more sheep and deer in their little farms, a bit of snow and hail, and then came to Lake Wanaka. Ho-ly-shit. Snow covered mountains in the background, brown mountains to our left and right, and a calm, pristine lake providing the base. It was honestly surreal.

The girls went into the snow shop to pick up the boards, try on some boots and get fitted for the season, and I walked around for a bit before rejoining them and waiting for them to get settled with their gear. Once they were finished, we attempted to go to a local winery (which was closed) and then visited Puzzle World for a few minutes. Just a cute little place with tons of puzzles and illusions (no tricks here). A fun little stop. We also grabbed some kumara fries to hold us over for the ride back, and Jenny and I talked about her parents visiting in two weeks, Luke, living away from home, not wanting to move back to where we were born (in my case, Florida, in hers, England), and potentially working overseas in my case.

Once we hit Queenstown again, we parked the car and the girls accompanied me on my hunt for the famous “Bluff Oysters.” Apparently world renowned, they have a whole festival dedicated to these oysters that are just reaching the end of the harvesting season. Bluff is on the southern coast of New Zealand, and these are supposed to be among the world’s best. How could I pass them up? Sure, they’re pretty expensive, but how often am I going to get the opportunity to try them? First stop, Captains: sold out at lunch that day. Second stop: Pier 19, also sold out at lunch. Finally, the Boardwalk: DING DING DING! The restaurant was on the top floor of the wharf building, and had a really unique layout. It was almost as if they had two person couches/loves seats on which to sit for dinner. Usually, those are really uncomfortable, but these happened to be really nice and perfect for the atmosphere. I placed my order for a half-dozen, and anxiously waited. Worth every second and every penny. If you don’t like oysters, you don’t really understand why these are so good. They are huge, thick, amazingly fresh and briny, and pretty much melt in your mouth (that’s what she said?). Such a good investment!

We then headed out for some real dinner. We made our way back to Old Man Rock, where dinner was absolutely fantastic. The weather had turned much colder, so we sat by the roaring fire, (Mel and I had the pumpkin and rosemary soup with some delicious, thick toasted rosemary bread which was extremely warming and comforting), and the four of us just had some amazing conversations about living, moving, traveling, television, and life in general. The girls grabbed some hot cocoa and I opted for a cappuccino with Bailey’s, and we sat by the fire and enjoyed our evening by the fire.

Back to the house, Kat and I watched the move “Taken” and got sucked in so that we had to stay up late and know what happened at the end. Not a bad movie, but nothing to write home about (but apparently something to blog about?). I then had the sad task of packing, knowing I would be leaving in the morning.

I woke up a bit early, got myself a workout and a shower, and finished my packing and cleaning up. Mel had her interview for rentals, so we dropped her off, and Jenny and I went for some breakfast and coffee at Vudu. Once again, no disappointment. We talked a bit about camp, work, the environment, ignorant people…and once Mel finished her (hopefully successful!) interview joined up in the conversation. When we finished breakfast, I had to make my way over to Joe’s Garage for one last scone/say goodbye to all of the friends I had made there, and was greeted with wishes of safe travels and a free coffee. Off to the airport… L

So I checked in and Jenny, Mel and I waited anxiously for Luke’s plane to arrive. We saw it touch down, and as it did, the call came over the intercom for those on my flight to head through security…I took my chances and waited for Luke to exit the plane, and he seemed to take forever! Finally, we saw him step off, and walk through the arrivals. I gave him a huge hug, we had some man embracing, caught up for all of about two minutes, and then I rushed through security (where I was put to the head of the line! Sometimes it pays to be risk!)

The short trip to Auckland was fine, and I took a nice walk from the domestic terminal to the international terminal, where I was able to pick up a gift for my host family, try some samples from the plentiful duty-free (haha duty) shops and make my way to the plane. I hopped aboard, had a nice meal and some red wine, and here I sit: 11582m in the air, 694km and about an hour from Melbourne, remembering my time in New Zealand. There is no doubt in my mind that I will be back here, it is just a matter of when. Possibly for the 2011 Rugby World Cup? Possibly this winter break for a family vacation? Or possibly sometime in the distant future? I’m not sure, but I know that I have to make my way back here. There is so much left for me to explore in this part of the world. If nothing else, this has just made me realize how little I know about other places, and how many opportunities there are outside of the traditional “American Dream.” It may be that I end up living the normal American path: finish college, immediately get a job, work hard and save up for my family and myself. But there is a possibility that I may try my hand at working overseas, at moving to another country and seeing how I like it. There is SO much for me to learn and know about other places, and I simply wish that I had more time. But, as my parents always tell me, “You’ll figure it out.” And I know I will.

Soon I’ll be in Melbourne, where Caitlin is going to pick me up, show me the city, and take me on the next part of my journey! You’ll hear more about it on my next entry, whenever that may be.

-Josh